607 Beggars, Mentally Challenged Persons Evacuated from Abuja Streets
607 Beggars, Mentally Challenged Persons Evacuated from Abuja Streets
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has removed 607 beggars and vulnerable individuals from major streets across Abuja as part of an ongoing sanitation and security enforcement campaign.
The Head of Enforcement at the FCT Social Development Secretariat, Ukachi Adebayo, disclosed that the removals, carried out between July 2025 and January 2026, were executed by the Operation Sweep Abuja Clean team. She explained that 583 of those evacuated were identified as street beggars, while 23 were persons living with mental health challenges.
According to Adebayo, those apprehended were counselled and documented before being transferred to their respective state liaison offices for return and rehabilitation. She noted that although many of them often find their way back to the streets, enforcement efforts would remain continuous.
She added that a number of the individuals had migrated to Abuja due to insecurity in their home states, but stressed that the administration would persist in relocating them for proper reintegration support.
Also speaking, Acting Director of Social Welfare, Gloria Onwuka, raised concerns over organised child begging in the capital. She revealed that some children seen begging on the streets were transported from other states by unidentified persons who collect proceeds from them daily. Onwuka further disclosed that several women found with children during operations were not their biological mothers.
Meanwhile, Secretary of the FCTA Command and Control Centre, Peter Olumuji, said Operation Sweep is a collaborative security initiative involving multiple agencies and departments.
He stated that the exercise was introduced by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to address street begging, scavenging and related criminal activities within the capital.
Olumuji described street beggars as both a security risk and a public nuisance, adding that some may act as informants for criminal networks. He also noted that vulnerable persons on the streets are exposed to exploitation and ritual-related crimes.
He confirmed that enforcement operations would continue across the city to ensure public safety and preserve Abuja’s image as a secure and orderly capital.
The renewed crackdown follows earlier directives by the FCT Minister, who had declared a firm stance against street begging, citing concerns that the city was increasingly becoming a haven for beggars and disguised criminal elements.
